Plug and receptacle



A. H. FARGO. PLUG AND R'ECEPTACLE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, I915.

Patented July 29, 1919. I 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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-A. FARGO. PLUG AND BECEPTACLE. APPLICATION Hui-D MAR. 4. 1915.1,311,266. Patented Ju1 29, 1919..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UTE ARTHUR H. FARGO, F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK PLUG ANDRECEIPTACLE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. FARGO, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city ofPoughkeepsic, county of Dutchess,

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements inPlugs and Receptacles, and of which the following is an exactdisclosure.

An object of this invention is to provide a plug and receptacle whichwill embody details havingiincreascd etiiciency over such devices now onthe market.

Another object is to provide a receptacle adapted to receive and lock aplug; to provide a plugadapted to enter'and lock within a receptacle; toprovide a plug contact having means ,to reinforce the same againsttransverse bending; to provide an improved receptacle contact clip; andto provide other details of construction as hereinafter fully broughtout.

A further object of this invention is to provide a'connector which willovercome all of the defects commonly experienced in the various typesnow on the market, and also present new advantages hitherto not embodiedin devices of this character.

A further object is to provide a connector which grips an electricalconductor of circular cross-section with substantially equal pressurearound its circumference; to provide one that efficiently grips theconductor in a substantially straight form, not bent, curved, ortwisted, as is usually the case; to provide a conductor which, by thetapering shape and wedged cooperation of its parts, grips the conductorwith a force much eater than that usually attained, ahd at he same timedoes not weaken by flattening, cutting or shearing that portion of saidconductor within or adjacent to said connector; to provide a connectorwhich requires little or' no space between it and adjacent objects inwhich to manipulate the conductor when attaching the latter to theformer; to provide a connector capable of coiiperating with a conductoras permanently as is obtained in the use of a soldered joint, yet whichcan be released at will and without in any way damaging either; toprovide a connector,

which automatically operates to increase its grip upon a conductor, withany increase in the strain of the latter longitudinally; and

hereinafter fully brought out.

in the drawingsFigure 1 1s a sectlonal Specification of Letters Patent.Pafellte (1 July 29, 1919. Application filed March 4, 1915. Serial No.12,003.

view of an electric cont-act plug; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of thesame; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, diametrical section of a combinedreceptacle and lamp socket plug; Fig. l is a top plan view of the same;Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a receptacle contact clip; Flg. 6 is acentral vertical section of the same; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of amodified form of the same; Fig. 18 is a central vertical section of theclip shown in Fig.

10; Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a wall receptale with face-plateremoved; Fig. 10 is a side view of same'withimproved plug in position;Fig. 11 is a detail'view of the improved plug and receptacle contacts incooperation; Fig. 12 is a view of the new plug and a well knownreceptacle contacts in cooperation; Fig. 13 IS a perspective view of theimproved plug contact; and Fig. 1-1 is a diagrammatic view showing thepositions of the retaining shoulders in two different types ofreceptacles.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. a plug is shown ascomprising a body portion 5, screw-threaded on its circumference toreceive the insulating shell 6, centrally apertured at 7, to receiveelectrical conductors '8.

The body portion of the plug is furthermore recessed at 9 from whichpoint extend the contact fingers 10, said fingers having a fiat portion11, embedded in the body 5 and secured in place by screws or bolts 12,which project at their opposi 1 ends into recesses 13 also in thebodyportion and secure to said fingers connectors 19.

The plug contacts 10 comprise a fiat shank, or contact portion 40,provided upon its outer edge with a longitudinally extending, stiffeningor reinforcing rib 11, which at its upper end merges into a flange 4'2,projecting integrally from the radial outer edge of the plate 11 andoperative to reinforce the latter, and to retain the end-portion of anelectric conductor beneath the head of the bolt 12 when the connector isnot employed.

'The inner edge portion of each of the contacts 10 is notched as shownat 45 and 4-6, the latter being deeper than the former. The position ofthe notch 45 is such that, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 14,

'- the resilicnt locking member 47 in a wellknown type of receptacleclip 48 readily cooperates with the same to .yieldingly main- Thepreferred form of clipcomprises 7 flat base portion 51-, from whichextend up-- wardly and slightly convergingly resilient portions '52,- attheir upper ends turned ii.-

wardly and downwardl to form substantially parallel, flat portions 53,the surface of one of which is broken by the boss 49, While the lowerextremities of said lastnamed portionsv are oppositely directed at 54.By the shape andlength of the portions 54, it is obvious that uponinserting a contact into the clip, the portions 53 expand to apredetermined degree, after-which the cooperation of the ends e lwiththe sides 52 forces the latter to expand also and thus share a portionof the pressure exerted directly upon the portions 53 by the insertedcontact.

Figs. 7 and Sillustrate a modified form of receptacle contact comprisingin general two parts. The inner member consists of a piece of flexiblemetal having asubstantially 56, having substantially the surface ofone'of w ichis broken by a flat portion from which rise two sectionsarallel portions 57,

laterally positioned boss or'shoulder 58. The other member comprises abase portion and oppositely positioned resilient portions 61, operativeto press against and add increased resiliency tothe sides 57.

F ig; 3 shows a combined plug receptacle and lamp socket plug. The lowerportion comprises a body surrounded'bya threaded shell 66 and piercedcentrally by a bolt 67 also extendingthrougli the upper portion 68,which in turn embodies two contact clips 69 similar to those describedand respectively connected to said bolt and to said shell. The openings70 in the top of the,

upper portion 68 are" L-shaped, to admit the similarly shaped plugcontacts 10.

In Fig. 9 .is shown the top-or outer face of a wall receptacle with theusual face plate removed, and comprising the usual body 75, platesecuring lugs 7 6, and contact clips 77. These clips embod twooppositely positioned,, resilient si e members 48 and the transverselypositionedspring shoulder 47.

Fig. 13 shows a side view of this construebeen providedan improved typeof cooper ating plug and receptacle contacts, a plug contact-capable ofeiiicient cooperation with areceptacle; and a receptaclecapable ofefficiently receiving a plug.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to pro act byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination of areceptacle witha pair of spaced resilient contacts, one of which isprovided with an inwardly projecting shoulder, a substantiallyhorse-shoe shaped resilient member partially encircling said contacts,its ends pressing together to contract said contacts, and a plug contactfrom one edge, adapted to cooperate with said contacts, andsaid shoulderadapted to enter said recess.

2. A plug contact, comprising a substantially fiat contact/portion,asubstantially flat base portion perpendicular to the former, and aflange extending longitudinally of both of said portions andperpendicular to the planes of said respective portions.

3. A plug contact, comprising a substantially flat contactportion, asubstantially fiat base portion perpendicular to the for- -mer, and anintegral flange extending longitudinally of both of said portions andperpendicular to the planes of said respective portions, adjacent to oneof their edges, said contact portion being provided in its opposite edgewitli= notches adapted to receive various receptacle contact lockingdevices.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand-this 2d day of December,A. D. 1914.

ARTHUR H. FARGO. Witnesses:

- FRANK L. GARDNER, E. K. DUSENBURY.

' provided with a recess extending inwardly,

